Tyler Junior College has been recognized with a 2021 Texas Pathways Award from the Texas Success Center.
At the recent Texas Pathways Institute held in Dallas, TJC was one of six colleges honored for their implementation and scaling of guided student pathways.
TJC earned the “Excellence in Helping Students Choose and Enter a Path” Award, which recognized the College’s excellence and progress over the last two years regarding practices and student outcomes associated with pathway entry.
Multiple areas of the College collaborated to establish Career Exploration, a resource that enables students to investigate career options, choose a program of study and develop a full-program plan as soon as possible. This service is available to all students via Career Planning and the College’s website.
“TJC faculty and staff are committed to students and their success,” said Dr. Deana Sheppard, TJC provost and vice president for academic and student affairs. “It is an honor when the hard work of our teams is recognized at the state level, especially in an area where we are facilitating students choosing a career path that will lead them to a job they are passionate about.”
“This award is a culmination of several years of teamwork to improve student success for all Tyler Junior College students,” said Dr. Terry Peterman, TJC associate vice provost for academic and workforce programs and Pathways Team lead. “Our Pathways Team works with all aspects of the College to enhance the student experience, and to improve student success and completion.”
“Student success is critical to the vitality of the College and community,” said Dr. Belinda Prihoda, TJC director for institutional effectiveness. “Regardless of whether students are taking TJC courses online or one of our many instructional sites, they are empowered to choose their paths to earning awards — whether a certificate, associate degree or baccalaureate degree.”
TJC also works with high schools to motivate and prepare students to enter college-level coursework in a program of study when they enroll. Faculty have partnered with tutoring centers to design interventions for students to ensure they succeed in “gateway” English courses by the end of their first year.
TJC’s Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) is also dedicated to developing an effective model of academic success coaching to provide support to academically underprepared students tailored to their major program areas.
About the Texas Success Center
The Texas Success Center was founded by Texas Association of Community Colleges to provide statewide coordination of student success strategies and to tighten the linkages between practice, research and policy. This comprehensive reform strategy reflects TACC’s dedication to socioeconomic mobility through career-focused postsecondary success.
As a member of the national Student Success Center Network, the Texas Success Center creates a coherent, statewide framework for action and supports the state’s 50 community college districts as they evaluate, align and integrate their work to increase student success.